Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 10y

Ribery's agent hits out at team doctor

Franck Ribery's agent has joined his client in hitting out at the French national team doctor who claimed the Bayern Munich man is not playing at the World Cup because he is 'afraid of needles.'

Franck Le Gall caused a stir last week when he claimed Ribery, 31, would not take the cortisone injection that might have resolved a back problem and enabled him to play in Brazil because he is afraid of needles.

Le Gall went as far as to say Ribery's phobia stemmed from the overuse of injections by Bayern's renowned team doctor, Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt -- a claim the German physician hotly disputed.

Speaking on Canal+, Ribery's representative, Jean-Pierre Bernes, said Le Gall should never have spoken out in the first place.

"It's the French national team's doctor who started this controversy. With doctors, and I don't know how it works in clubs, but there is competition, jealousy of one another, and after that there is a debate which is useless and which doesn't make things move forward. I don't think the Munich doctor needs lessons in medicine. This controversy was created.

"When it had been determined that Franck Ribery could not play at the World Cup, everything was in order. He left the France team, went on holiday. I didn't see the point in the French national team's doctor turning up at a press conference to speak about this matter when there was no matter to speak of."

Despite Ribery's absence, Les Bleus made a rip-roaring start to their Group E campaign, sweeping aside Honduras 3-0 on Sunday. Karim Benzema struck twice and had a major hand in his nation's third goal while Antoine Griezmann performed impressively in only his fifth senior international appearance, fully justifying Deschamps' decision to start with him rather than Olivier Giroud.

The Arsenal forward, 27, had stated he would be disappointed should he not be on the pitch at kick-off, and Deschamps' assisitant coach, Guy Stephan, confirmed Giroud had been frowning in Porto Alegre.

"He was disappointed not to play. All the better. It would be worrying if he weren't disappointed. Didier spoke to him, life goes on," Stephan said. "It was a strategic choice. That doesn't mean to say the same choice will be made against Switzerland or Ecuador or after that."

While Giroud will have to wait to discover whether he has earned a place in the starting line-up, Deschamps, 45, should have Yohan Cabaye available when deciding upon his team for Friday's encounter with Switzerland, despite the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder sustaining a right adductor muscle problem last weekend.

"Yohan is rather good," Stephan announced on Tuesday. "Today's session will be very light with some runs to get the blood flowing and some fun exercises. He will take part in part of the session, perhaps not the whole thing. We still have a little time before the game, but as of now, there is no thought of him missing out."

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